Tuesday, May 10, 2011

mother's day weekend

it was my first "official" mother's day this past weekend, though i still considered myself a participant in last year's mother's day, too. i remember being about four months pregnant, just beginning to show and meeting mom and grandma at the outlets in smithfield for lunch. we hit up motherhood maternity for some clothes to get me through the summer, and i still felt the joy of being a "soon to be" mom.

my mom and grandma came down on saturday, after we spent the morning cleaning up the house and catching up on chores. we were invited over to justin's mom's in the afternoon for a cook-out, and his step-dad had built a frame for his baby swing. we got davis in it and he was hooked!(my friend lindsey noted his huge feet here--yes, we think he's going to have big feet!)i think he has a new favorite spot at his grandma's house :)after lunch on the back patio, justin and i took him down on the lawn to do his six month pictures. instead of trying to set up our "studio," we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day and perfect lighting. i was so happy with how these turned out!

we tried this one with justin's hat... too cute!i am loving his big smile... and i still think i see reddish hair coming in!he was chewing on his thumb that day, probably another sign of teething.his pint-sized hat that we keep over at hi grandma's house. i think it made his eyes look blue, though we're not sure what color they're going right now.i loved the white picket fence for a background--perfect for spring time photos.

we had to get some pictures of his new favorite trick--standing up!he does a great job of smiling for the camera--thank goodness!and then a couple of him sitting up on his own!such a big boy!we took it easy for the rest of the night, getting davis down and visiting with justin's friend kenny who stopped by. we all got up for church, and justin made me a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes and strong coffee :) i had to snap this picture from my spot in church, because it just made me happy to have everyone lined up beside me.davis did a great job, not even having to be taken out of church. he went down for a nap while we waited for my brother alan and his wife rachel to get there. once davis woke back up, we all went out to lunch where he did great sitting in his high chair and eating some solids before our food came. we left from the restaurant and went to one of the local farms, strawberries on 903, to get some goodies and explore. what a great stop for us to make!after choosing our baskets of strawberries (you can pick them in the fields yourself there, but we opted for the easier "already picked" kind) and other fresh produce, we walked around to visit all of the farm animals they had out.they had goats...he was still trying to figure out if they were friendly (like the dog) or notand these guys were my favorite. they had little nubs of horns that were just coming in...then we checked out the peacock, who crowed twice while we were there. who knew peacocks crowed?i wish it had opened its tail while we were there, but it was still pretty cool to see a peacock next to all the turkeys and other birds in the pens.there were a couple of cute bunnies...

and the pigs were his favorite. he laughed at them when we first got there and thought they were the funniest things ever.but by the chickens, i guess he was kinda over it.we finished our trip with a big cup of homemade ice cream, with banana, peach and blueberry flavors. so good!it was the perfect mother's day, and i was so glad to spend it with my family, my husband, and of course--my beautiful son. i don't think i could have ever imagined how he would change my life, but it has been such a wonderful journey so far. no one can ever explain to you the love that a mother feels for her children, the sacrifices you're willing to make, and the overwhelming joy that they bring to you--until you're there. i said many times after my labor and delivery experience and that first time of holding davis, "you just don't understand it until you've been through it." other people had told me that, and i guess i figured it was true, but i still thought i could prepare for it and would have an idea... but i didn't. i know i've loved other people, and i know i loved my pets--i mean, pepper was our "baby" for the past two years--but it doesn't compare for the love i feel for davis.

a happy belated mother's day to all of the mother's out there--such an amazing club to be a part of this year :)

About Me

I am a devoted Christian, loving wife, mother to a beautiful son, and pet-mom to an adorable dog and two neurotic cats. I am a licensed clinical social worker and work in the counseling center at our local university. I also do freelance photography work for the local paper, as well as weddings and portraits. I spend my free time with my wonderful family, volunteering with my church youth group, hanging out with my friends, doing crafty stuff and shopping.